IOWA CITY, Iowa — In 1992 a baby was discovered in an Iowa City landfill. Now, over 30 years later, authorities say they’ve made an arrest in the case.
On December 21, 1992, the body of an infant was found at the Iowa City Landfill. At the time, the infant couldn’t be identified and was thus named Baby John Doe. The Iowa City Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation began what was described as an extensive investigation into the baby’s death, but the case went cold due to limitations in technology and little evidence at the time.
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With the advent of enhanced DNA testing, the ICPD said the case was reopened in October 2022 and evidence was resubmitted for testing. The ICPD said the results of those tests revealed the identity of the child’s mother — 58-year-old Cindy Sue Elder.
Investigators found Elder living in Clever, Missouri and questioned her about the child. The ICPD said that Elder told investigators that she had given birth to a baby while she was living in Iowa City, and that she had left the baby, who was born alive, in a plastic bag in a trash receptacle near her father’s home. Investigators were also able to track down the baby’s father, who said he didn’t know that Elder was pregnant or had given birth, the ICPD said…